Open Water

After a brutal winter and a snowy November, a green Christmas for 2014 was not a disappointment. The day after Christmas, my granddaughter Avery and I went in search of open water.  I wanted to see how high the waves were on Lake Michigan and instead of high waves we found sunshine, blue and green water, a cold wind, fishermen on the Pentwater pier and a beach filled with flotsam and jetsam.

Avery didn’t think she needed a coat as the outside temperature was registering 45 on the car thermometer.  But her ever concerned grandmother brought a red parka for her to wear along with gloves.  Despite the temperature, I knew the winds coming off the lake this time of year would be chilly.

 We watched the water spray up on the pier on the other side of the channel.  Lake Michigan was choppy and at the end of the pier we were walking on, we saw fishermen in warm camouflage, fishing for whatever they fish for this time of year...maybe coho salmon.  I’m guessing as I know nothing about fishing.  One fisherman had caught three large ones while another had a fish on his line.  As he reeled it in slowly we saw the silver fish jump above the water.  Then there was a shout from the fisherman as his catch broke free.  Avery told me later that she wasn’t sure how someone could murder a fish so she was glad it got away.  There is something special about a grandchild who roots for the fish.

At the end of the pier the water was spraying on the rocks and spewing up close to us.  We both used the camera to try to get a picture of the splashing.  It took patience to wait for the crash of water and we shivered in the wind.

As we walked off the pier enjoying the sunshine, I asked Avery if she would like some hot chocolate.  Never a girl to turn down a good thing she enthusiastically said yes.  It was a day to revel in and I knew the open water would soon be a thing of the past.   January snows will come and cover the beach and the lake will freeze around the edges.  The open water will be further out or not within sight at all from the beach.  The pier will become a dangerous place to walk.

We will return in the spring to search once more for open water and collect bits and pieces off the beach.  The wind will be softer and we will watch the waves and feel the change of seasons. We will dream of summer and the carefree days it brings for a grandmother and a granddaughter who enjoy each other’s company. However not much could beat the day after Christmas experience we had just had.  May there always be open water between us.